Photo credit: Trewella Sports Photography
31 DAYS TO GO | EFNL Media will be previewing each club ahead of the 2020 season with the #InFocus2020 series, all thanks to Yarra Valley Water & Choose Tap.
By: Daniel Cencic
WARRANDYTE is looking to pick up where it left off in Division 3 last season, after playing off in its first finals series in three seasons.
The Bloods finished third on the ladder at the end of the home and away season before being bundled-out by eventual runner-up, the Waverley Blues, in an extra-time elimination final.
Senior coach Anthony McGregor, who enters his third season at the helm in 2020 says that while 2019’s curtain call was a disappointing end, the exposure of finals footy for his young group cannot be undersold.
“First of all, to make the finals was fantastic and that’s what we aimed to do in our series of goals from the pre-season previous,” McGregor said.
“To play in a final was great exposure for our young group, but to go out like we did was gut-wrenching.
“But it’s proved that they’ve got a bigger fire in the belly this year – they’ve had a taste (and) the fire in the belly has grown from that loss.
“We brought it up once and we spoke about it at length and then it was over. The drive has come from (within) – they know what happened and it’s raw and very fresh.”
The club has secured the services of Vermont product Ryan Phillips, with the 23-year-old finding his way to the Bloods through friends Jordan Powell, Josh Meyers and Josh and Tim Beasley.
Phillips played the entirety of his junior and senior footy with the Eagles until 2019, when he transferred to Division 1 outfit Upper Ferntree Gully for 14 appearances.
“Phillips will probably hold down a key forward role, we have an amazing array of small forwards which I think he’ll really complement them,” McGregor said.
“One of the things we prided ourselves on last year was our forward pressure and having a big key focal point will only help that.”
In a further coup for the Bloods, South Morang’s Luke Shelton has signed on, with the 30-year-old winning three senior best and fairest awards at the Northern FNL Division 3 club as well as serving as skipper for the past two seasons.
Luke Shelton in action for South Morang in the 2019 Division 3 NFNL grand final.
Shelton played 88 matches for South Morang and kicked 89 goals from 2015-2019.
“(Luke’s) a great inclusion for us for a bit more depth of leadership,” McGregor said.
Also joining the fold is Jakeb Cullen-Hall who returns to the Bloods after last playing at the club in 2015.
Cullen-Hall played 22 senior matches for North Ringwood from 2016-2019 and is joined by Mitchell Wilson from Chirnside Park and Michell Morris from East Burwood.
Wilson played 33 matches for the Panthers across the past two seasons while Morris looks for more senior opportunities after five senior games at the Rams.
“He (Morris) is just a genuine goer – he could play wing, on-ball, half-back and could play forward, he’s just one of those very useful utility footballers,” McGregor said.
“Our whole side, no-one’s pigeon-hold (for a position) at the minute.
“Our practice matches are going to be a big key to where it all sort of fits into play.”
Departing the club is Tom Grimes who has returned to Northern FNL Division 1 outfit Hurstbridge, while centre half-back Lewis Oliver has transferred to the Picola & District FL to play with his brother at Strathmerton after 86 games with the Bloods from 2014-19.
Consistency is key this year for McGregor as he looks to close the gap on his side’s best and worst footy.
“The consistency is what we’ve been working on all pre-season,” he said.
“The gap between our best and our worst is wide apart, there’s no middle ground for us at the minute.
“That’s been our focal point right from November – it’s been our buzz word, because at our best we can match it with anybody and at our worst we’ll get beaten by anybody.
“We had such a young group and inconsistency you’ve got to expect, but now it’s a matter of pulling those things together and being an overall balanced side where you know what you’re going to get, one week into the next.”
Meanwhile, Michael Cullum will again lead the club as captain, supported by Nikoda Brooking as vice-captain and Jordan Powell as deputy vice-captain in a peer-elected leadership group, while McGregor is hopeful 2019 senior best and fairest Jack Grimes will again feature in the Bloods’ campaign.
“He (Grimes) is undecided as to what capacity he’s going to play this year, but I think we’ll get quite a number of games out of him this year, hopefully,” McGregor said.
Off the back of last year’s finals appearance, expectations are high internally.
“We have to play in the last final this year,” McGregor said.
“It’s expected internally from the playing group and it’s expected from the coaching staff and the club.
“We could have played off (last year) the way the cards fell and could have done what Waverley had done (and) who knows what could have happened against South Belgrave, (but) they were very strong.
“It was a great competition last year and deep down it was still competitive … and I think this year it’ll be more competitive.”
Warrandyte begins its season against Ferntree Gully away on Saturday, April 18, following a bye in Round 1.